Massachusetts Medical Society Testifies in Support of Legalizing Possession of Needles and Syringes and Sale Without Prescription
Waltham, Mass. (PRWEB) January 30, 2004
The Massachusetts Medical Society (MMS) today testified before the Joint Committee on Health Care in support of House Bill 3329 and Senate Bill 658, legislation to decriminalize possession of hypodermic needles and syringes. The bills would also allow the sale of needles and syringes over the counter without prescription by pharmacists to patients 18 years and older.
The Society also offered additional testimony in support of Senate Bills 566 and 610, bills to allow the Department of Public Health to expand needle exchange programs in the Bay State.
The deregulation of the sale of hypodermic needles and syringes has been MMS policy since 1996. House Bill 3329 and Senate Bill 658 would remove restrictions on access to syringes – a major factor in the multi-person use of syringes and hence a major cause of HIV and hepatitis transmission. The legislation would make it easier for individuals to gain access to medically necessary syringes and at the same time, reduce costs for the physician and pharmacist in writing and filling prescriptions for legitimate medical uses.
The Medical Society said it also supports this legislation in the hopes of reducing the transmission of HIV and hepatitis. The Society, however, saying that Â?the intravenous use of drugs presents a serious public health menace which cannot be minimized,Â? urged that any changes in the law be carefully monitored to Â?assure that the positive aspects of syringe deregulation are not outweighed by any unanticipated increase in illegal drug use.Â?
Testifying in support of Senate Bills 566 and 610, the Medical Society, which has supported pilot needle exchange programs since 1992, said Â?the value of needle exchange programs in providing a contact point for drug abusers seeking treatment is well documented.Â? Senate Bill 610 would give the Department of Public Health greater ability to respond to local public health needs and Senate Bill 566 would allow the DPH to establish mobile needle exchange programs. Â?Needle exchange programs,Â? the Society said, Â?serve as a starting point for helping drug abusers reintegrate and become healthy and productive members of society.Â?
And in related testimony, the Society offered support for House Bill 1087, which would remove criminal or civil liability of physicians resulting from the prescription of syringes and needles to their patients who are illegally injecting controlled substances. House 1087 would eliminate this liability by recognizing that encouraging the disuse of contaminated hypodermic needles and syringes is a legitimate medical purpose.Â?
The Massachusetts Medical Society, with more than 18,000 physicians and student members, is dedicated to educating and advocating for the physicians and patients of Massachusetts. Founded in 1781, the MMS is the oldest continuously operating medical society in the country. The Society owns and publishes The New England Journal of Medicine, the Journal Watch family of professional newsletters, AIDS Clinical Care, and produces HealthNews, a consumer health publication. For more information, www.massmed.org
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